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Publisher's Summary

The former president and best selling author of
Sources of Strength and
The Virtues of Aging writes about the powerful rhythms of countryside and community in a sharecropping economy of Depression-era Georgia. He renders an unforgettable portrait of his father, a brilliant farmer and strict segregationist who treated black workers with his own brand of "separate" respect and fairness, and his strong-willed and well-read mother, a nurse who cared for all in need - regardless of their position in the community.
Carter describes the other people who shaped his early life (only two of whom were white), including the boyhood friends who could not attend the same school, and the eminent black bishop who refused to come to the back door but would stand in the front yard discussing crops and politics with Jimmy's father.
Carter evokes a time when the cycles of life were predictable and simple while the rules were heartbreaking and complex. An Hour Before Daylight is a sensitive portrait of an era that shaped the nation.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful

By
Samantha
on
07-05-03

A rare view of rural America

Biography is not my usual choice, but this one is very engaging. Through close examination of his childhood, Jimmy Carter offers rare insight into the social relationships in a poor, southern farming community of the early 20th century. His deliberate and colorful narration paints a beautiful portrait of a uniquely American way of life. He presents thought provoking observations of the relationships between black and white Americans with open honesty. This book has substance and exciting imagery. Jimmy reads with a steady, strolling pace and deep sincerity that is quite a treat.

An Hour Before Daylight

Wonderful account of how a country boy grew up to be a high achiever. The author and narrator is able to relate his story extremely well and it is fascinating. You learn a great deal about Mr. Carter's upbringing as well as about agriculture and life in the rural southern USA in the early 20th century. The relationship of Mr. Carter to his father and his subsequent development of a powerful work ethic is memorable.